# NTSB ERA25LA281: Cessna 172S, N121CW, Kissimmee, FL, July 30, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report - Date: July 30, 2025, 11:28 local (15:28 UTC) - Place: Kissimmee, FL · Highway - Coordinates: 28.257645, -81.45217 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.2576&lon=-81.4522&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Investigation ongoing - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA FSDO, Lycoming - NTSB case key (mKey): 200670 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA25LA281 - NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200670/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA281 ## Preliminary report On July 30, 2025, at 11:28 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172S, N121CW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kissimmee, Florida. The private pilot and flight instructor were uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to provide commercial instruction for the private pilot. The instructor reported that during the preflight, the airplane had sufficient fuel, and the engine had sufficient oil for the cross-country flight. The pilot stated that the taxi, runup, and takeoff were all normal. After departing the Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM), Orlando, Florida, while climbing through 1,900 ft mean sea level (msl), both pilots reported feeling engine vibrations, and shortly after, heard a loud bang, and the windshield became covered with engine oil. The instructor took control of the airplane and began to head back to ISM; however, after determining that they had insufficient altitude to return to the airport, they elected to perform a forced landing on a road. The pilots reported their visibility was significantly reduced due to the oil covering the windshield. The pilot receiving instruction looked out the side window, and the instructor utilized her peripheral vision to guide the airplane onto the road. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a car, and the airplane came to rest on the side of the road. A postaccident examination by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed that the fuselage sustained substantial damage and the engine had experienced a catastrophic internal engine failure. A large portion of the top crankcase had broken free from the rest of the crankcase, and the no. 2 connecting rod had released from its crankshaft journal. The wreckage was retained for further examination. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 172S, 19 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=2072439), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N121CW](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N121CW), registered now, S/N 172S8975, built 2001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S - Registry model: [Cessna 172S](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (registry code 2072439) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-360-L2A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (registry code 41597, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 172S8975 - Year built: 2001 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Aerostar Training Services LLC - Registered owner: Aerostar Training Services LLC - Departed: ISM, Kissimmee, FL - Destination: X60, Orlando, FL - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: ISM ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 90 °F, dew point 79 °F - Altimeter: 30.08 inHg - Observed at: KISM, 2 nm away - METAR: KISM 301456Z VRB05KT 10SM CLR 32/26 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP185 T03170261 50008 $ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20250730012669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250730012669A), Jul 30, 2025: Cessna 172S, Kissimmee, FL, Substantial damage. PIC stated they departed kism at 1523, after a runup with normal indications. Climbed out at 74 KIAS, handed to orl departure to climb to 4000'. At… ## Other investigations on N121CW (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA13CA335](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA13CA335), Jul 22, 2013: Cessna 172S (N121CW), New Smyrna Beach, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's improper landing flare and subsequent inadequate recovery from a bounced landing. - [NTSB LAX05CA302](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05CA302), Sep 18, 2005: Cessna 172S (N121CW), Show Low, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's selection of a downwind runway for landing and his inadequate compensation for the strong and gusty quartering tail wind conditions, which resulted in a tail strike during landing. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.